The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 54: The Tribe of Levi (2023)

Episode Date: February 23, 2023

Fr. Mike clarifies some questions surrounding the Tribe of Levi and talks about what it means to be held to a higher standard as a leader in your community. Numbers 3, Deuteronomy 3, and Psalm 87. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is Day 54, and today we're going to story today. It is day 54 and today we're going to be reading from Numbers chapter 3 and Deuteronomy chapter 3, keeping a pace with those two stories, those two books, as well as praying Psalm 87. The Bible translation that I'm using is

the Revised Standard Version, the second Catholic edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, simply visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You can download that for free and make sure you subscribe on your podcast app to receive the daily episodes. But let's get started. The Book of Numbers, Chapter 3, The Sons of Aaron. These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. These are the names of the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. These are the names of the sons of Aaron, Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests whom he ordained to minister in the priest's office. But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord, when they offered unholy fire before the Lord in the wilderness of

Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of Aaron their father. Duties of the Levites. And the Lord said to Moses, Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. They shall perform duties for him and for the whole congregation before the tent of meeting as they minister at the tabernacle. They shall have charge of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting and attend to the duties of the sons of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They are wholly given to him from among the sons of Israel. And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall attend to their priesthood. But if anyone else comes near, he shall be put to death.

And the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel, instead of every firstborn that opens the womb among the sons of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine. I am the Lord. Census of the Levites. And the Lord said to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, number the sons of Levi by father's houses and by families.

Every male from a month old and upward you shall number. So Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord as he was commanded. And these were the sons of Levi by their names, Gershon and Kohath and Merari. And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families, Libni and Shemii. And the sons of Kohhon by their families, Libni and Shemiyai, and the sons of Kohath by

their families, Amram, Ishhar, Hebron, and Uziel, and the sons of Merari by their families, Mali and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their fathers' houses. Of Gershon were the families of the Libnites and the families of the Shemiyites. These were the families of the Libnites and the families of the Shemaites. These were the families of the Gershonites. Their number according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 7,500. The families of the Gershonites were to encamp behind the tabernacle on the west, with Elieisaph, the son of Lael, as the head of the father's house of the Gershonites. And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting was to be the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the

door of the tent of meeting, the hangings of the court, the screen for the door of the court, which is around the tabernacle and the altar and its cords, all the service pertaining to these. Of Kohath were the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izurites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzielites. These are the families of all the Kohathites. According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were 8,600 attending to the duties of the sons of Kohath were to encamp on the south side of the tabernacle, with Elizaphan, the son of Uziel, as the head of the father's house of the families of the Kohathites. And their charge was to be the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and the screen,

all the service pertaining to these. And Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, was to be chief over the leaders of the Levites, and to have oversight of those who had charge of the sanctuary. Of Merari were the family of the Malites and the family of the Mushites. These are the families of Merari. Their number according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 6,200. And the head of the father's house of the families of Merari was Zuriel, the son of Abihel. They were to encamp on the north side of the tabernacle. And the appointed charge of the sons of Merari was to be the frames of the tabernacle,

the bars, the pillars, the bases, and all their accessories, all the service pertaining to these. Also the pillars of the court round about with their bases and pegs and cords. And those to encamp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, having charge of the rights within the sanctuary. Whatever had to be done for the sons of Israel and anyone else who came near was to be put to death. All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the Lord by families, all the males from a month old and upward were 22,000. Redemption of the Firstborn. And the Lord said to Moses,

Number all the firstborn males of the sons of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking their number by names. And you shall take the Levites for me, I am the Lord, instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the sons of Israel. So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the sons of Israel as the Lord commanded him. And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names from a month old and upward, as numbered were 22,273. And the Lord said to Moses,

Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle, and the Levites shall be mine. I am the Lord. And for the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the sons of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites, you shall take five shekels apiece, reckoning by the shekel of the sanctuary the shekel of twenty gerahs, you shall take them, and give the money by which the excess number of them is redeemed to Aaron and his sons. So Moses took the redemption money, and those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites from the firstborn of the sons of Israel, he took the money, 1,365 shekels, reckoned by the shekel of the sanctuary. And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.

The book of Deuteronomy chapter 3. The defeat of Og, the king of Bashan. Moses continued. Then we turned and went up the way to Bashan. And Og, the king of Bashan, came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. But the Lord said to me, Do not fear him, for I have given him and all his people and his land into your hand. And you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon. So the Lord our God gave into our hand Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people, and we struck him

until no survivor was left to him. And we took all his cities at that time. There was not a city which we did not take from them, sixty cities, the whole region of Argab, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. All these cities were fortified with high gates, walls, and bars, besides very many unwalled villages, and we utterly destroyed them, as we did to Sihon, the king of Heshbon, according to every city, men, women, and children. But all the cattle and the spoil of the cities we took as our booty. So we took the land at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, from the valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon. The Sidonians called Hermon Sirion, while the Amorites call it Sinir. All the cities of the table land, and all Gilead, and all Bashan,

as far as Seleka and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, for only Og, the king of Bashan, was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. Behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron. Is it not in Rabbah of the Ammonites? Nine cubits was its length, and four cubits its breadth, according to the common cubit. When we took possession of this land at that time, I gave it to the Rubanites and the Gadites, the territory beginning at Aroar, which is in the edge of the valley of Arnon, and half the hill country of Gilead with its cities. The rest of Gilead and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, that is, all the region of the Argab, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh. The whole of that Bashan is called the land of Rephaim. Jair, the Manasite, took all the region of Argab, that is, Bashan,

as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Makathites, and called the villages after his own name, Havath-Jair, as it is to this day. To Makir I gave Gilead, and to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory from Gilead as far as the valley of Arnon, with the middle of the valley as a boundary, as far over as the river Jabbok, the boundary of the Ammonites. The Arabah also, with the Jordan as the boundary, from Chinareth as far as the sea of Arabah, the salt sea, under the slopes of Pisgah on the east.

And I commanded you at that time, saying, The Lord your God has given you this land to possess. All your men of valor shall pass overarmed before your brethren, the sons of Israel. But your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, I know that you have many cattle, shall remain in the cities which I have given you, until the Lord gives rest to your brethren, as to you, and they also occupy the land which the Lord your God gives them beyond the Jordan. Then they shall return every man to his possession which I have given you. And I commanded Joshua at that time, Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. So will the Lord do to all the kingdoms into which you are going over.

You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you. Moses views Canaan from Pisgah. And I begged the Lord at that time, saying, O Lord God, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what God is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as you? Let me go over, I pray, and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that excellent hill country and Lebanon. But the Lord was angry with me on your account and would not listen to me. And the Lord said to me, let it satisfy you. Speak no more to me of this matter.

Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your your eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with your eyes, for you shall not go over this Jordan. But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land which you shall see. So we remained in the valley opposite Beth Peor. Psalm 87 The Joy of Living in Zion A Psalm of the Sons of Korah

A Song On the holy mountain stands the city he founded. The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. Glorious things are said of you, O city of God. Among those who know me, I mention Rahab and Babylon. Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia. This one was born there, they say. And of Zion it shall be said, This one and that one were born in her. For the Most High himself will establish her. The Lord records as he registers the peoples, this one was born there.

Singers and dancers alike say, all my springs are in you. Father in heaven, we give you praise and we thank you. Even in the midst of the depths, even in the midst of darkness, you are faithful. And we can trust in you. Amen. Amen. We make this prayer in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Okay, quick, I want to highlight a couple of quick things. One is in Numbers chapter 3. What do we have? We have the tribe of Levi. Remember that among the other tribes of Israel, the tribe of Levi was set apart, right? They had set themselves apart.

You have ordained yourselves this day, you know, when Levi, the tribe of Levi, rose up against the other people of Israel who had worshipped the golden calf. One thing that I think I may have not been clear about is the following, that while all of the tribe of Levi was set apart for service in the tabernacle or service in the temple, not every one of the tribe of Levi was a priest. And I think this is important. All priests have to be Levites, but not all Levites are priests. That is an important note because I think that sometimes we can fall into the trap of thinking that, oh, if you serve in the tabernacle, if you're a Levite, you're therefore a priest. That's not

exactly the case. And here in Numbers chapter three, it spells that out. It spells out that there were a number of the tribe of Levi who were set to particular tasks, right? So you have the sons of Levi, Gershon and Kohath and Merari. And so they're all given different tasks to do. So the family of Gershon is on the west side of the tabernacle and they're given charge over like the screen and the tent of meeting and it's covering. And you have Kohath and it's on the south side and they're given a number of tasks that have to do with the ark and the tent of meeting, and it's covering, and you have Kohath, and it's on the south side, and they're given a number of tasks that have to do with the ark, and the table, and the lampstand. And so what we realize is that all Levites are there for the service of the temple, but not all are serving in the same particular way. And it is noted by the Lord God here in

Numbers chapter 3 that only the Levites are those allowed to this, have this temple service. And among that tribe of Levi, right, is the sons of Aaron. And those are the ones who are the priests working in the service of offering up the worship or offering up, performing out those, those rights and duties in the tabernacle. The other duties that have to do with maintaining and making sure that everything's running well, that has to do with those other families of the tribe of Levi. I hope that that makes sense. It is a often missed little piece that us as modern Christians can sometimes

not understand or realize. So again, all priests are from the tribe of Levi. Not all Levites are priests. The next thing to kind of highlight is Deuteronomy chapter three. I just want to pull out two quick things. The first is that the tribe of Reuben and the tribe of Gad and the tribe of Manasseh, they're given land in what they call the Transjordan. So this is before they've crossed over the Jordan River and entered into the Promised Land. Their land there in Transjordan is given to them. That's where those tribes dwelt. That's where those tribes ultimately are going to exist.

But the Lord God, through Moses, says, okay, this is your land, but you have to keep coming with us. You have to keep journeying with us over the Jordan River because we still have battles to fight. We still have the promised land to obtain. And so we need you to go with us across the Jordan. And after you've taken the land, you can come back to this land. This is going to be your land. And there's this element of here's a gift. This is almost like a future promise, or it's a current promise about a future reality.

But you're going to have to continue to fight. You're going to have to continue to serve your brothers and sisters here, the other tribes of Israel. And I think there's something just really powerful about that, that imagine here's your home. Oh, great. This is our land. Yes, it is. But keep moving with us because we are not done yet.

And that's something that is way on our hearts so often. It's like, I want to be done. I just want to be able to have like, put my stake in the ground and say, okay, this is home. These are my roots. This is, I'm done. And for Reuben and Gad and Manasseh, okay, they got, this is your home, but you can't be here yet. Speaking of here's your home, you can't be here yet is the last point. And we have the story of Moses and he recounts, he said, I begged the Lord at that time, Lord, your God, you've only begun to show your servant to your greatness and your mighty hand. What God is there in heaven or earth or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours?

Let me go over. I pray that I may see the good land beyond the Jordan. But he said, the Lord was angry with me because in Numbers 21, Moses is going to strike a rock twice when God did not tell him to do that. In fact, he told him to do something else. And Moses, in anger, struck a rock twice. And because of that, he, as the leader, was held to a higher standard. And because of that rash act, he was not able to cross over into the Jordan. And that's something that can be a difficult teaching for us,

is that here is Moses, who was very faithful for a long time, a long, long time. And yet, even in the midst of that, there are consequences to his actions. He was not displeasing to the Lord. God loved Moses. God loves Moses. And Moses was a faithful man. But there also are consequences to our actions. And so you have Moses saying, I plead with you once more, you know, oh Lord, let me go over. And God basically says, do not bring this up anymore. He says, speak no more to me of this matter. Go up to the top of Pisgah, this top of this mountain and look and behold the promised land, but you're going to die here. Now that can seem harsh to us, but at the same time, it is true, isn't it?

That the leaders among us and the teachers among us are held to a higher standard. And Moses is one of those. And he was held to a higher standard. Not a standard of perfection, but a higher standard nonetheless. And so we recognize all of us that, my gosh, Lord, please help me. Because if you have a family, you're held to a higher standard. You're the mom or the dad of that family. If you're a teacher, you have a higher standard.

James chapter three, verse one says that not many of you should aspire to be teachers because you'll be held to a more strict judgment. All of us are in some ways responsible for others. And so here's Moses who, in his responsibility, he failed that task. Nonetheless, he still was loved by the Lord. It just meant that he couldn't enter the promised land. Sometimes the answer to our prayer is no. And today the answer to Moses' prayer was no. And yet God is faithful and God still loved Moses and God still loves you and God still loves me. I'm praying for you. As we continue this journey through the Bible, we are going step by step,

just like the children of Israel, through the wilderness. And yeah, we can only do this if we pray for each other. So I am praying for you. Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you again tomorrow. God bless.